Forest House

Tatjana Pieters is honoured to premiere ‘Forest House’, the first exhibition in Europe by Toronto-based Czech painter Veronika Pausova (1987). “A non-specific name for a specific place in my mind.” is how Pausova explains the title for this exhibition.

Press Release

Tatjana Pieters is honoured to premiere ‘Forest House’, the first exhibition in Europe by Toronto-based Czech painter Veronika Pausova (1987). “A non-specific name for a specific place in my mind.” is how Pausova explains the title for this exhibition. Unsure wether one really wants to fully discover this story of flowers with thorns and lifeless fish, the interesting dark colour palette and the curious compositions create an irresistible appeal. There is something familiar about them, but abstract at the same time. An unseen memory of the past and elsewhere.

With their precise visual vocabulary Pausova’s small scale paintings often engage in a pictorial games that play with the thin line between reality and its perception. Shifting the meaning of her characters from one painting to the next, Pausova describes her approach as ‘mathematical surrealism’. In these seemingly disjointed environments, familiar forms such as fish & flowers appear as motifs that question our interpretation of reality and how much information is required to elicit a story. The same character can be used for many different stories, with different ‘outfits’ or ‘choreographies’.

Pausova translates her interest in narrative to the way she applies paint. Each texture is evidence of a decision made, of a new story developing. By starting to use oil paint instead of acrylic in the recent paintings, Pausova has allowed herself to experiment with new techniques, like scratching, sanding and layering. The materiality of paint as well as the choices of colour, surface treatment, and pattern become part of the conceptual construction of the work. Combined with precise depictions of recognizable elements, these various strategies open up Pausova’s canvases to an otherworldly realm that is full of possibilities.

Veronika Pausova received her BFA from Glasgow School of Art in 2009 and her MFA in painting from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013. Recent solo exhibitions include ‘Be frictionless latecomer’, Simone Subal, New York (US),; Elope by Mere Thread, Páramo Galeria, Guadalaja (MX); Chests in the Current, Motel Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (US); and Testing the Waters, SARDINE Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (US). Selected group exhibitions include: Sojourner Truth Parsons, Sean Steadman, Veronika Pausova, 11R, New York; Gesture Play, Simone Subal, New York (US); Seek Professional Help, Bureau, New York (US); NYC Painters, Páramo, Guadalajara (MX); NYC Painters, El Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños (MUPO), Oaxaca (MX). Pausova is one of the 15 nominees for the prestigious RBC Canadian Painting Competition., which will be awarded in autumn of this year.